A motorcycle passenger smashed a car window and stole a Brazilian content creator’s iPhone in roughly one second while she was trapped in São Paulo traffic.
On Friday evening, August 28, 2026, around 6 p.m., automotive content creator Tabata Lenk was stopped in traffic on Avenida Presidente Tancredo Neves in São Paulo’s south zone. Two men on a motorcycle pulled alongside her car before the passenger broke the side window and grabbed the iPhone from its dashboard mount.
Dashcam footage captured the entire theft. After the motorcycle disappeared, Lenk remained frozen for several seconds before she began crying and shaking. She later said her legs became weak and that she struggled to continue driving until another motorist stopped to help.
The incident was followed by another serious loss. Lenk said approximately R$2,000 around $386 US was transferred from her Nubank account shortly after the phone was stolen. She stated that the suspects did not have her password, Face ID or bank transfer PIN, and she does not know how the transaction was completed.
Lenk filed an electronic police report, remotely locked the phone and contested the transaction with the bank. The case was sent to the 95th Police District in Heliópolis. As of August 31, investigators had not announced any arrests.
The attack follows the familiar São Paulo “quebra vidro” (Window Smash) pattern, in which thieves target vehicles stopped in traffic because drivers have little opportunity to pursue them.
Here is the video of the incident:
